6 Benefits of Offering Veteran Hiring Programs
While veterans may have completed their service in the military, they make very good additions to any workforce for companies seeking to fill employment opportunities. Whether you are toying with the idea of hiring veterans for your tech department, or you are simply recruiting and need ideas on the best candidates, this article is for you. Read on to find out the benefits of offering veteran hiring programs for your company.
1. Veterans are Easy to Train
Veterans are known for their ability to learn fast as their background is based on a continuous learning process that requires them to adapt to changing environments and improvise. As such, they are accustomed to listening keenly and following instructions as required. This ability to grasp new skills and concepts fast means you won’t have to spend a lot of time and money training them for the job. It is important that they get the chance to showcase this in the workforce, so looking at the variety of options out there for veterans, there is more here about this, will help them find their footing when they get back to civilian life.
Veterans usually come with transferrable skills from the military that are applicable in real-world situations. They do this by learning specific skills, usually technology, to help them find a job after their service with the help of programs like the GI Bill benefits. The short learning curves that veterans present means lower cost per hire and improved productivity for your company.
2. Excellent Leadership Skills
While in service, veterans tend to develop leadership skills due to their wide range of responsibilities which sometimes include supervision of others. Service members climb ranks much faster which means they get to lead others quite early in their careers and hone their leadership skills. During this time, they get to learn decision making, accountability, organization as well as the guidance of their subordinates.
Ex-military members understand how to inspire and manage the behaviors of others to achieve desired results. Such qualities when applied in the business environment can help steer a company in the right direction.
3. Veterans Have the Soft Skills to Excel in Any Field
The ability to get the job done and competence is key to the successful completion of any task especially in the field of technology. However, soft skills are equally important for anyone seeking to drive success and growth in the workplace. Qualities such as teamwork, persistence, self-drive, and attention to detail are all traits of service members that come with the nature of their work.
As you look for talent to fill your company’s open positions, veterans are your best bet. The soft skills they come with help them stay focused on the goal and develop pleasant working relationships with others. Moreover, they could be more dedicated to learning new skills and talents through various programs that might be discussed on blogs such as https://hansenbeck.com/, which can help them in career growth as well as the company in getting quality work from an employee. It can minimize conflicts in the workplace and ensure efficiency.
4. Inclusivity and Diversity
Members of the military get to work on a global scale which drives them to interact with individuals from different backgrounds. By working with international teams and being exposed to new environments and communities, veterans are best equipped to handle diversity in the workplace. Their exposure to diversity means that they can easily fit into any working environment and cooperate with other employees seamlessly.
What’s more, veterans bring your company new ideas and a breath of fresh air by introducing global ideas in an otherwise localized business environment. This is because they get exposed to international trends in technology which are assets for technology-oriented enterprises towards success.
5. High Regard for Health and Safety
Military members undergo intensive training on health and safety protocols to keep themselves and those around them safe. As such, they have high regard for health and safety which translates to the protection of fellow staff members in your company as well as company property.
A veteran working in a factory or manufacturing unit might have high regard for safety protocols and can work effectively as a supervisor who can keep other employees safe in hazardous situations. Hiring a veteran as a supervisor can also benefit in deciding what safety measures and equipment are required in a workplace. Based on the analysis, a company can contact suppliers on unigloves.co.uk or similar sites to place the order in bulk for the safety gear. Health and safety could be considered primary objectives in a workplace, especially in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical, chemical, and metal testing industries, and veterans can be best suited to manage this job role.
Further talking about other professional industries, in the technology field, cybercrime is a major threat to businesses. By hiring veterans as part of your IT staff, you help keep your company protected as they are always conscious and on the lookout for any danger in any environment they are in.
6. Public Relations
Being former members of one of the most trusted institutions in the country, hiring veterans can uplift your company image in the eyes of business stakeholders as well as customers. The sheer act of hiring veterans will boost trust in your company due to the perception that ex-military members are disciplined, trustworthy, and goal-oriented. Other than a positive company image, you also stand to benefit from tax credits that come with hiring and training veterans who are seeking employment.
Employers who hire unemployed veterans are eligible for Returning Heroes Tax Credits as well as Wounded Warriors Tax Credits when the veteran has a disability. Special Employer Incentives are also available for employers who train newly-hired veterans where you can claim reimbursement of supplies and salary. All these benefits can greatly reduce your financial obligations and save you a lot of money.
As you look to fill vacancies in your technology department, don’t stop at general hires and consider giving employment benefits to veterans. While every veteran may be different and come with distinct qualities, making them part of your workforce is beneficial to your company in the long run.